Wir Kochen: braten – backen

Wir Kochen: braten – backen.  Hardcover book.  All text is in German.

Some vintage cookbooks have an otherworldliness that I find enthralling.  Besides recipes for food gone by, there’s also the photographs.  I particularly enjoy the way that food was presented... I think the word people use today is “styling”… often (not always) combined with vintage printing processes that were cheap and nasty and give a completely wrong colour spectrum to food that we all recognise, know and love, but no longer necessarily eat, that makes this sort of book so appetising.  The way food is “styled” now is very different to the way it was when this book was published (probably the 60s or 70s), and of course there are in this instance cultural differences between German food and other food.  These images whilst not going to the extremes of some, are a great example of what I enjoy in a vintage cookbook.*

This book is written in German… this is problematic… not problematic if you're in Germany with a large population that can read German… problematic if you are in Australia where the majority of people don’t read German.  In the past I’ve had a mixed response to foreign language books but I have sold some… not all, just some.  I guess if your looking for that authentic German flavour to your meals and in this instance, a 70s authentic flavour and you can read German, then this is the book for you.  Personally… I like the pictures.

*Check out “The Gallery of Regrettable Food” http://www.lileks.com/institute/gallery/.  One of my favourite blogs.